It’s crazy how history seems to repeat itself. In 2015, GM Ryan Pace decided to start a rebuild alongside veteran defensive coach John Fox. The roster was torn down, and efforts were made to start building it back up. However, things didn’t improve in 2016 after the expected down first year. The Chicago Bears finished 3-13. It was evident to most that a change at quarterback was coming since they held the #3 overall pick. The problem was whether the Bears should keep Fox around to see that through, considering he’d never developed a QB in his career. It was especially noteworthy, with multiple hotshot offensive coaches (Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan) likely to get hired in the upcoming cycle.
Everybody remembers what happened. Chicago chose to give Fox another year. The Bears went 5-11, Mitch Trubisky struggled, and they ended up firing him anyway. That meant the season was utterly pointless as the next head coach would bring in new systems and philosophies the quarterback would have to learn. Meanwhile, McVay and Shanahan have gone on to huge success on the west coast.
Now, here the Bears are again. A defensive coach in Matt Eberflus hasn’t shown any signs of having the team pointed in the right direction. Evidence is growing that they will hold a top-3 pick next off-season, making the likelihood of their drafting a new quarterback high. Last but not least, the 2024 cycle looks like it will feature some enticing young offensive coaches.
The Bears may pull another John Fox.
With all due respect to Eberflus, the evidence doesn’t support the idea he deserves another season. He’s 6-21 as a head coach, the worst winning percentage by a wide margin through that many games for any Bears coach in history. His in-game decision-making is bad. The team is undisciplined, committing way too many penalties and other mental mistakes. Even his bread and butter, the defense, has underwhelmed for most of his tenure. None of his core philosophies have manifested in this organization.
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With a possible new quarterback on the horizon, GM Ryan Poles faces a franchise-altering decision. Either he sticks it out with Eberflus, hoping he finally gets things turned around, or he pulls the plug in hopes of pairing the QB with an offensive-minded coach. There is no shortage of hot names out there. Bobby Slowik is doing amazing things with rookie C.J. Stroud in Houston. Ben Johnson has turned Detroit into a well-balanced juggernaut. Eric Bieniemy is showing he’s more than just a puppet of Andy Reid after leaving for Washington.
One of them has to be better suited for the job ahead. Whether the Bears recognize that is the great unknown.
